A/N: There's some slight nsfw in the third section. Nothing smutty or graphic or explicit or anything, just maybe not something you'd want to read while at work!
Zelda spent the day above deck, slick with sweat in the pounding sun and her long dress, shift, petticoats, and gloves. It was one of the outfits that she'd packed for her journey that The Epona crew had taken off the ship with the intention of selling. But Urbosa had allowed her continued use of the fine fabrics until that day came.
But today? Today, Zelda was jealous of the pirates.
Like when she'd first arrived, she became suddenly and acutely aware that many of the crew didn't wear the same kind of clothing that she was accustomed to. Women didn't wear dresses, and men weren't in uniforms. It seemed that they wore whatever they liked, however they liked it.
Zelda was beyond glad that Paya didn't have the ability to read her mind, because unlike the first few days of her trip on The Epona, Zelda was no longer in a constant state of shock or illness, and she rather hoped that the Goddess, in all her indifference, wasn't listening in on her more private thoughts either.
Subtly was rarely Zelda's specialty. She was far too blunt, too curious, and rarely felt she had time to be guessing at the meaning of things. Perhaps that was one of the most frustrating things about Mr. Woods. He enjoyed a good smile and a non-answer in a way that she was almost sure was intended to speak only to her. She'd seen him answer plenty of people directly. She'd seen him be polite, and give a vague nod. He could do it.
And ugh! Why was she thinking about him again? He wasn't even in front of her this time. This time, she was standing beside Mipha and Paya, both of whom desperately needed air.
Paya was in the same situation, drowning in the layers of a proper lady's garment. Her hand waved in her face back and forth to try to add some more air to her clammy skin.
But Mipha, it surprised Zelda to realize, was no exception to being one of the strangely dressed women she'd been so confused about. She was wrapped in a covering over her chest, and wore rolled up pants that were ill-fitting and loose, tied up with a rope. But working below deck in the hold with the food had its drawbacks, and Mipha needed just as much air as the others.
And to Zelda's surprise, despite her initial shock, she wasn't horrified by the girl's state of undress. Perhaps it was because by this point, she felt like she knew Mipha on some level, perhaps with the same level of bodily acceptance as her maids had when helping her change. It was simply… unaffecting her. Not on the same level as it had.
Or perhaps, the reason it wasn't affecting her was because there was something else on her mind. Or, someone else.
Link was on deck. She could see him talking with someone as they walked towards her, though he paid the group no mind. It gave Zelda the unobstructed opportunity to watch him work.
His blonde hair was tied back and out of his face, tight and high on his head. Though he usually had a bandana to keep it all back, he opted to forgo it, relying solely on the piece of twine he'd knotted in to keep it from falling.
While Zelda knew that he often wore a loose shirt with a severely dropped neck, as the majority of the crew did, he often wore a jacket over it, which mitigated the effect. Now, his shirt was so loose it was barely on him, and she could see the glistening of a golden chain around his neck. When he bent, the chain fell forward. Through Zelda couldn't see it in detail, in a flash of sunlight she was almost certain she saw the Triforce, the symbol of the Goddess.
But with another glint, it was gone, lost beneath a ripple in his shirt.
Though, if she had imagined it, perhaps it was a sign from the Goddess, one telling her… something. Perhaps to stay strong? To remember Her? To keep her mind from straying? To remind her that every single thought passing through her mind was forbidden?
Zelda knew that Paya couldn't read minds. If she could, she'd certainly have chastised her for watching Link for so long, but according to every priest and priestess, the Goddess could read every thought.
Oh, she definitely could. And she was punishing Zelda with a test. A test she was sorely failing.
Link patted the back of someone Zelda didn't recognize before heading their way, grabbing a rope above his head and leaning forward casually in a way that stretched out his taut muscles. Zelda had never paid any mind to the hair on a man's arm, but the blonde caught the sun.
Goddess above, Zelda pleaded internally. Won't you just leave me be?
That would have been too kind for a Goddess. Link caught her staring.
"Hello," he said, casually, melodically. He was a charmer when he wanted to be, and it all came through in the huskiness of his voice, and the easy expressions of his face.
"What?" Zelda snapped.
His eyes were dark from the sun, and no amount of kohl around them seemed to help, given how wide the blacks of his eyes were.
"Goddess, the heat has gotten to you, hasn't it? Perhaps it's because you're wearing that tarp of a dress. I'm sure there's something else you could wear if you wanted."
"Are you trying to dress me now, Mr. Woods?"
He made a face. "I'm actually waiting for Mipha. Do you mind?"
Mipha turned at the sound of her name and smiled at Link.
With a frustrated huff, Zelda returned to the rail and felt the burn of Paya's eyes on her. She succumbed, turning her head, only vaguely listening to Link and Mipha having a detailed discussion about necessary supplies when they reached land.
"What are you doing?" Paya whispered.
"What?"
"Miss Zelda, please! The Goddess tests us all. Don't fail her now; not when we're close to freedom."
"Fail her how?"
Paya scoffed and scooted closer. "You have been inappropriately staring at the man who has admitted he would have killed me. The man who captured us. The man with the gun on his belt. Remind yourself of that the next time you are lost in his eyes."
"Paya!"
"If I know, then the Goddess surely knows. And she will only seek more recompense for your actions."
"I…" Zelda trailed off, closing the remainder of the gap between them. "I can't help the way my thoughts go. I believe that it's the Goddess testing me."
"Then you're failing."
"I know," Zelda balked and crossed her arms, feeling like a child. "You sound like Impa," Zelda spat, unsure if she was more annoyed with Paya or herself.
Rabbits. Kittens. Puppies. Foals.
She tried to take her mind off of him, but he was so readily right there, his voice in her ear as he laughed with his friend, that there was no tuning him out.
Running her hands through her sticky hair, Zelda shook her head. "What's wrong with me? Am I broken? The Goddess ignores my pleas at every turn. I just want to go home so badly."
Paya nodded I nagreement. "Back to normalcy and away from these lecherous heathens and their filthy influence."
Zelda felt her breathing speed up. Well, she certainly didn't think they were going so far as to imbue her with a sense of lechery.
While she didn't consider herself a prude, she certainly was no woman of loose moral values either.
Though, she had to admit, the idea of lying to Urbosa had crossed her mind; she may have been left alone in her cabin if she'd thought fast enough to agree that her nausea had been from pregnancy. She could see no outcome in her favor. Perhaps her captors would have raised the ransom for the governor and his grandchild, but that would have simply ruined Zelda's reputation at home, to the point of a disgrace beyond all proportions. It wouldn't have been worth the lie in the long run. But she wanted to bear the satisfaction of being able to see Urbosa's surprise, that this 'Little Bird' did, in fact, have wings.
"Is this her?" A man on the crew was pointing to Paya, and she immediately stood up and backed away.
The man on the crew's hair was shaved on the sides and tied back into several small, tight braids with feathers looped into a few. Zelda was unsure exactly how, but his hair almost looked a shade of blue or purple. His nose struck Zelda as odd, being abnormally long, almost like it desired to be a beak.
"That's not her, Revali," Link said, halting his conversation with Mipha when he saw both Paya and Zelda react. Zelda looked ready to jump across the gap Paya had created between them. And Link jerked his head to Zelda.
"Ah," the man's head snapped to hers like a hawk seeking prey. "So you're the one worth all this fuss. Hardly what I expected. I was thinking you'd be something… more. Some Princess, or long-lost daughter that this man knew nothing about. But you're just… this?"
"This?" she spat back.
"Yes. You're just his daughter. Nothing special. No titles. You don't even look so well. I would never have assumed you were our prize."
"Because I'm not a prize."
"You are to us. That's the difference between being a prize every day, like myself, and being a pirate's prize. You're the latter."
Link scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, you're a real prize. Revali, you're amongst the most difficult men I've ever worked with."
"Well now, that's not my fault now, is it? A crews attitude is a direct reflection on its leadership. Poor leadership, Quartermaster, leads to a poor crew."
"You think you could do better?" Link growled, abandoning his conversation with Mipha altogether to take a threatening step towards the other man.
"I know I could."
"Then challenge me and be done with this. I'll cut you down now, and I'll do it gladly."
"Remember, Link: you may lead the vanguard, but I am it's best fighter."
Link narrowed his eyes. "You're our best shot, not our best fighter."
"Trust me, I can manage."
Link grabbed Revali's collar, pulling the loose fabric until he was nose-to-nose with him. "You don't have what it takes to do what needs to be done. You've failed before. Get over it." He left go with a dramatic wave of his fingers, and Revali straightened out his shirt.
"Bring that up again, and I will do what I must."
"Don't tempt me."
Zelda could see the words waiting to leave Link's lips, but he restrained himself, and Revali shook off Link's touch.
"Fine. Perhaps I'll see you around, Lady Cargo."
"It's Miss Nohansen!" Zelda called back, a disgusted look on her face. She turned back to Link, who watched Revali leave with narrowed eyes.
Well. No love lost there, it seemed.
And Link's tone was sharp when he returned his attention to Mipha, something Zelda had yet to hear from him around anyone he liked. "Is there anything else?"
"No, Link," she said, backing away to give him space.
He nodded once, and then turned to Zelda. For the first time in a while, she remembered what didn't attract her to him. He was that man she'd met on the first day, the one who held her on her knees and pointed a gun in her direction. His eyes were cold and unflinching.
This was a pirate.
"Pack your things," he practically barked at Zelda. "We're nearly at Outset."
He stormed away, and Zelda quickly felt Mipha's hand on her, comforting her. But Link's reaction reminded her that these were all pirates, and she jerked her arm away, motioning for Paya to follow her to get her things.
And though she couldn't see Paya's face, she was positive that the girl had a smug grin on her face that screamed 'I told you so.'
Zelda was beyond amazed as they finally approached Outset Island.
The notion that there was a whole island inhabited by the lawless, yet that was well-known to Hyrule Kingdom, was beyond Zelda's comprehension.
Why not send an armada to clean it up? Why not dispatch the Navy to enforce an embargo? Why were they allowed to be free? What on earth was the King doing letting them exist out on this island unchallenged?
"You're coming with us to the beach," Urbosa said, moving up behind Zelda as she watched many of the crew prepare the ship. "Link and I will be ashore, and I won't have you on this boat guarded only by a skeleton crew. Besides, I'm sure you'll welcome some solid ground while we wait for word from your father."
"How long do you expect that will be?" Zelda asked, chasing Urbosa down two steps before they both stopped.
Urbosa looked tired, like she simply didn't have the energy for this conversation. "I like you, Little Bird. I think you have potential to be an interesting person. But know that my patience will quickly wear thin if you ask me that every time it pops into your head."
Zelda's eyes shifted suddenly to Link, who had moved to stand beside Urbosa. His face was impassive.
"The first shore party is ready, Captain," Link said, finally turning to Urbosa.
"Are you on it, Link?"
"I can be."
"Yes, you are now. Get the place set up, and leave an area for Miss Zelda and her lady to remain under guard."
"Of course," Link said, heading off.
And Zelda was left alone to fret about her fate. She wasn't only responsible for her own life, but for Paya's as well. If something happened to her, Paya was of no use to these pirates, and her fate looked grim. It didn't seem that they'd be willing to drop her off on Windfall and sail away, despite her being an innocent in all this.
Zelda set her eyes set on the horizon yet again, only this time in desperation, not knowing what she was looking for, or if she'd even see it.
"What are you looking to sea like that for?" a voice called up to her. Revali made his way up the steps and pointed out to the empty sea. "There's nothing to see in the sea. The excitement is the other way, on the beach. I'd have thought you, of all people, would have wanted to be returned to shore."
"That's not the shore I want to be on," Zelda muttered. But then she had a thought. "May I ask you a question?"
"I suppose, if you must."
"How will you know of my father's terms for my release? If you don't know when word is coming, how do you know what you're looking for?"
Revali huffed, almost as if he felt insulted by her question, and leaned beside her. "It takes years of training, but it's something you get eventually."
A retort died on Zelda's lips. The word 'sold' still echoed through her mind and she stared at sea, looking for some mysterious sign of her father or a ship.
But Paya's desperate plea that she stop engaging in conversations with the pirates halted her from responding to him, or asking any further questions, as did the burn in her back from Paya's watchful gaze.
"I just want to go home," she said instead, shoulders falling as she watched the waves.
Revali huffed and shook his arms out, as if the thought itself made his skin crawl. "Well, that's not going to happen today. Let's go, they're ready for you on the beach."
Zelda grabbed a handful of her skirt as she followed Revali down to the launch boat, where several other crew were inside waiting, including Mipha, Sidon, and Link.
The climb down was on something barely considered a ladder, but more of evenly spaced rods for her to put her foot on. And there was the matter of getting her first foot on the rung… and then there was the climb.
Paya too looked miserably haunted by the thought.
Zelda let out a long breath. "Goddess help me, I'm going into this water today, aren't I?"
To her surprise, Revali chuckled and held out his hand. "We won't let you. Maybe tomorrow I'll need a laugh, though."
She cared very little who he was or what he'd said to her. She took a vice grip of a hold on him, and he held on until she was able to swing her foot over. Zelda was thankful for the fullness of her petticoat for the privacy she was allowed as she climbed down, but it made things far more difficult as she tried to climb, pushing the fabric aside just so she could have an idea of whether she was near the next step or not.
Mipha's guiding voice was calm when she noticed Zelda's struggle. "Rung," she'd say when Zelda was near one. She'd say it again for her next foot. It made the downward trek easy, and soon, she felt a pair of firm hands holding her by the hips, steadying her as her next foot didn't hit a rung, but the wood of the launch. She stumbled as it swayed from her additional weight, but she managed to make herself stable so she could get over to a seat.
Zelda turned with a relieved and almost triumphant smile on her face. And then she was met with Link, close in her space as he held her still from steadying her.
Though she had layers, his touch burned through them all to sear her skin. She'd never been touched on her waist before, and the feeling was foreign. Back home, it would have been scandalizing for someone to grab anything but her hand. But she had a sense that Link didn't even notice the turmoil he was causing her. And if he did, he didn't care. His hand stayed firmly in place to steady her in the rocking boat.
Again, she silently cursed the Goddess. Perhaps it was all the cursing that caused the Goddess to keep Her gaze off Zelda. Or perhaps the Goddess was simply laughing at Zelda, forcing her into the company of pirates, and making one of them attractive to her when she knew full well that they were monsters at heart.
"Thank you, Mr. Woods." She wanted to be hostile. She wanted to snap. But in that moment, her mind had gone blank of anything witty to say, and she'd defaulted to politeness in its absence.
His blue eyes melted her, and she warmed up a considerable amount, but she twisted out of his grasp, reminding him—rather forcefully—where his hands were, and he dropped them immediately.
"Of course, Miss Nohansen."
And though he did the same for Paya, they were both far quicker to break apart, and not nearly as encroached on the others personal space. And Paya made no effort to thank him for not letting her fall into the wobbling launch. She smacked his hands away the moment she could.
Or maybe it was Zelda who hadn't been close. Perhaps it simply seemed close because she couldn't handle the simple task of fighting off a basic desire such as attraction because the Goddess wanted her to suffer.
It was that same desire she succumbed to as she watched Link's arm muscles ripple as they rowed to shore.
Goddess, forget the merits of this being a spiritual test, she was going to need to see one of the High Priestesses when she got to Windfall.
Zelda sat under a tarp that had been hastily set up. Paya, Mipha and Sidon sat beside her, making themselves comfortable. The siblings chatted eagerly about something related to palm fruit, which allowed Zelda to pretend to rest her head against her knees, though she was watching the others along the beach.
Zelda saw Link command a few people to do certain tasks. A lot of it involved pointing and excessive hand gestures. Every now and then, she'd see Link glance at her, only to watch him look away quickly as he ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, tying it up, then pulling it down again and again before he took off towards the inner part of the island and didn't return.
And soon later, Zelda noted that Urbosa had also disappeared.
She saw others from the crew head towards the inner island, leaving only a handful of the others left on the beach, loudly cheering and talking with old friends from other crews who'd arrived to greet them.
"Where is everyone going?" Zelda asked, addressing her question vaguely to Mipha, though if Sidon had answered, she wouldn't have been confused why. Her burning curiosity earned her a disapproving look from Paya.
"Hrm?" Mipha looked around, spotting a few of the crew. "Oh! Well you see, some of us have families on the island. I get to keep mine with me, but not everyone has that chance, so they go visit when we're ashore. Some of us want to spend some money. Some want to drink. Some want to fu—f—find temporary companionship. It varies from person to person."
"Temporary companionship?"
"Yes. You know… let off some pent-up steam and all."
"Pent-up steam?" Zelda repeated, having never heard the phrase. But Mipha just nodded innocently, and Zelda had the distinct impression that she was done hearing that conversation.
Zelda wondered of the various meanings of such a statement, both innocent and… decidedly not, and wondered which of the two Mipha meant.
A laugh seemed to answer her thoughts. Sidon was leaning forward, his eyes narrowed playfully at his sister.
"Ha," Mipha scoffed. She didn't need words with him to know what he was trying to say to her. "I know this is putting you out of a good time."
Zelda raised her eyebrows, quickly putting two together to understand the phrase. She glanced hesitantly at Paya, who was pretending that she wasn't listening, though her tense, uncomfortable posture said otherwise.
"And you. A certain someone who's gone to the interior of the island? Isn't that what you want, sister?"
Mipha pushed Sidon, laughing. "You're one to talk, brother."
"Is this what it's like to have siblings?" Zelda found herself asking, curiously. She couldn't imagine this being a conversation talked about between two related people at all.
In truth, Zelda didn't know nearly as many people with siblings in Central Hyrule, where she'd lived. The Goddess said procreation was for conception, and so a child negated the need for more. Rich families were more likely to have more children, to ensure their name, riches and legacy were passed on should something happen to their first born, but it was not always the case.
Zelda's own mother had died before Zelda could have been blessed with a sibling. It was something she'd always wanted, but never truly grasped the concept of. The idea of someone to be there for you, with you, well, it was intriguing, if nothing else.
Sidon grabbed Mipha and pulled her backwards, practically throwing her into a pile of sand beside him. "I wouldn't know! This is how it is with my sister, though. She's everything a brother could want. But I think we're closer than most. We do live together, we work together, we fight together. Perhaps that's how it is for everyone, but I wouldn't know!"
"You're from Hyrule," Zelda said bluntly, watching them laugh at some sort of joke that needn't be said aloud. "I'm surprised you even have a sibling."
"I'm surprised you don't!"
"No. I don't. Is that why I am so valuable to you?"
"As his only daughter? Yes," Sidon said, plain as day.
The thought made Zelda sick. But instead of dwelling on it, Zelda tilted her face back and let the sun beat down onto her, warmed by the sand, the solid ground, the heat, the rays, and the promise that soon, she could be home. And with her eyes closed, she could almost imagine it.
Zelda hadn't been expecting to see the interior of the island. She'd expected to stay on the beach until word arrived from her father. Even then, she figured the only other alternate place she would be taken would have been back to the ship.
So, when Revali pulled her to her feet and dragged her by the arm through town, so quick that the streets and the sights went by in a blur, Zelda was utterly surprised by it all.
He'd come up from behind her, muttered something to Mipha, who was guarding a sleeping Paya and a bored Zelda, and then he'd taken her as quick as he could to escape the beach, a knife in his hand, and his eyes darting all over the place.
Zelda's heart raced, unsure of what was happening. She tried to pull her hand free, tried to push him off of her, but he held her too tightly. Revali's urgency as he moved through the streets had her disoriented, unable to keep her feet at the same time as her attempt to fight.
"Stop it!" he hissed when she got a particularly good hit into his arm while they turned a corner.
"What's happening?" she shouted before letting her weight drop beneath her, forcing Revali to the ground beside her.
"Get up!" he hissed, pulling her by the arm. "This is an emergency."
"No! Let go of me!"
"Do you want to die? Because the wrong people saw me take you just now, and they're probably coming this way. And if you have any interest in being alive, you're going to get up, and stop fighting me!"
They need me alive. I'm worth a lot of money. They need me alive.
Zelda didn't like it, but she knew Revali—to the extent one can know a pirate. He was a name and a face on a crew that she'd become vaguely familiar with. She didn't know what was coming for them. She'd once heard a phrase: the evil you know.
She pushed herself off the ground and felt Revali's grip tighten again as she allowed him to run, though her backwards glance towards the beach had her tripping every now and then.
So, when she was quickly moved into a crowded building, Zelda had been completely thrown off-guard and disoriented.
It didn't strike her until later that there had been a real possibility of her death; that she had been so confused that Revali could have far too easily ended her life, if that was his desired goal. He could have done worse.
But he didn't.
They need me alive.
It was only once he'd stopped for a moment that Zelda even had an inkling of where he'd just brought her.
From the room, she could see half-dressed men and women roaming around, laughing and smiling as someone told a bad joke that no one could hear over the joyful, upbeat music that was being played by three people just off to the side. There were cheers, the sound of clinking glasses, loud conversations. And there were many watchful eyes.
A tavern, she figured, though she'd never been in one herself before.
"Where is he?"
Zelda turned, but Revali wasn't talking to her.
A scantily dressed woman smiled at him. "Oh! Revali? We never get to see you in here. We do see your crew though. Have you finally changed your mind?"
"No. Just tell me where he is."
"Can't. We value our customers privacy."
"Bullshit," Revali hissed. "Besides, this is an emergency," he said, handing her a shiny rupee.
The woman took the gem and backed away to whisper with someone else.
"Mr. Revali," Zelda hissed, pulling at her arm. "Why have you brought me to a disreputable place such as this? Let me go back to the beach. I won't leave there."
"I can't. We've got a situation, as I've said."
"Then let me wait outside. Please, Mr. Revali. Let me wait outside." She could feel her heart hammering against her chest as she looked around.
He rolled his eyes at her, refusing to answer her.
Drunkenly brash men and women were shouting in excitement, clapping steins of ale and other drinks together, letting the spillage slosh onto the ground. And from those that weren't too inebriated, their eyes were glued to her. Zelda, with her fine gown and frightened expression, she read as an outsider. Likely a rich one, she thought as she thumbed the expensive silk she wore.
They need me alive.
She found herself cowering into Revali's space, because if nothing else, she knew that he would protect her. Protect the money she was worth.
There was a loud thud from the floor above, and Zelda jumped. The lull in the music afforded her a clear ear to what other sounds the tavern provided, and some of them were… surprising, to say the least. She could hear the sounds of voices, of shouts. And then, the music began again.
"Where exactly are we?" Zelda asked, still staring at the ceiling.
Revali fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt's hem. "A tavern," he said hesitantly, though now, Zelda wasn't inclined to agree with her original assumption.
"What goes on upstairs then?"
He made a face and shrugged. "This might also be a brothel."
"You brought me to—" Zelda's mouth dropped and she stumbled backwards, as far away from Revali as she could, feeling open and alone in this place.
She turned to the table as quickly as she could and grabbed at a sharp two-pronged fork and held it tightly at her side. Her body shook, and words she'd heard over the day began to bang around in her head. Brothel. Money.
She raised the fork in front of her, keeping an arm's length between her and Revali. "Why are we here?" Her voice cracked, and she flinched as there was another bang against the ceiling. Her other hand reached behind her and felt something solid. Though she couldn't tell what it was, she kept it balled in her hand.
Revali looked genuinely sympathetic for the first time since she'd known him. But what that meant from a pirate, she didn't know.
"Put that down, Zelda. We aren't here for—"
"A brothel? That's your emergency? You're a disgusting, dirty mite-ridden pigeon, and I hope you die of scurvy and the plague and whatever other diseases pirates are prone to!" she snapped, whipping the object at him. She watched a hard, round loaf of bread bounce off his leg.
Revali's foot tapped as he watched it roll away.
The chattering working women who were now very intrigued in their dispute, watching it with giggles and whispers, but a concerning lack of seriousness. If Zelda needed help, she hoped they'd be the first to reach out a hand, but perhaps they simply didn't care. If the Goddess had already forsaken them for their ways, perhaps it meant they were truly evil.
Zelda spun again and reached for another fork that was sitting at the table. Revali's head drifted from the workers back to Zelda. "You take that fork, and you're well on your way to piracy yourself. Theft and a weapon. Oh-Great-Goddess above will like that, won't she?"
The thought itself had Zelda dropping the forks back onto the table with a clang. She would never, ever, be anything like these pirates!
Her hand was still a quick reach away from the fork, but it stayed empty. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and especially not where people can't see us. Take me back to the beach!"
But Revali shook his head. "See, I can't allow that. The point, Zelda, is that we need to get you away from people right now. So here," Revali lifted his dirk from his belt and thrust the hilt into Zelda's hand. "Take this if it makes you feel safe. Use it on me if I do anything. But damnit, you need to trust me for just a few fucking minutes and then we can be rid of each other."
Zelda hugged the knife tightly against her, her grip a vice. "I want Mipha or Urbosa."
"They're not here. You're stuck with me."
Finally, the woman from earlier returned. "Third door. But he's occupied, sweetie. You might wanna come back later. Though from the sound of things, he might be nearly done. You might catch him on a… moment's break."
"Ugh. Thanks," Revali said with a grimace and a shudder before ushering Zelda to follow him towards the stairs.
"Goddess above, give me strength," she said, gripping the railing in one hand and the dirk in the other. "I'll scream and bring the whole island's attention onto me, if you do anything."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "That's not why we're here. This place… I want to get out of here almost as much as you do. So come on."
"How do I know to believe you?" Her grip on the bannister tightened, and Revali let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Because I could throw you over my shoulder and carry you up these stairs, if that's what I wanted. I don't. You're not a fighter. You'll be killed by another crew who doesn't know your worth. And as much as I will never admit it to another damned soul, I need some help to deal with a very dangerous situation. That confession alone should be enough to earn some trust, because I swear to the Goddess, I'll never admit that again, not even on my death bed. You have very little choice but to trust me right now. I cannot protect you against an entire beach full of pirates, and I need help. That's why we're here."
Zelda could hear exasperation and truth in his words, his tone. Everything about his demeanor screamed for her to trust him. To trust him: a pirate.
"Goddess," she breathed, tightening her hold on the knife. If nothing else, she could trust that. "My father would disown me if he knew I was even in a place such as this."
"He sounds like a joy."
With a horribly shaky breath, Zelda shot him a wary look before she took a step, and then another, following behind him with her knife tight in her hands.
Revali made a face in her direction and led her to a secluded balcony that overlooked a courtyard.
And then, Zelda's heart really began to race.
The surrounding sounds changed from the jovial energy that the tavern downstairs had, to a series of intermediate thudding sounds, cries, moans, wails. Every room had a closed door, occupied, and every room had a new set of vulgar noises that emanated from behind the walls as they passed. It was far worse than the sounds she could hear from downstairs, and it made her clasped hands tremble harder.
"What's happening?" she whispered.
Revali glanced at her and cocked an eyebrow. "We're in a brothel. What do you think is happening?"
"I know, but the noises! What else happens here? Are we going to walk in on someone being harmed?"
"Harmed?" Revali was no gentleman, and the amused noise that he snorted out of his nose certainly reminded her of that. "Were you never taught about this?"
"A little," she admitted, though her indignity masked her embarrassment at just how little she'd been told. Goddess, she must be so red in the face now. "But I was told it would be… quieter."
Revali snorted and let it pass without a further embarrassing comment at her expense.
Zelda's governess had told her that there were hedonist lechers in the world, intent on flaunting their pleasure at a Goddess who'd been forced to endure suffering. She'd been told that when one is honoring the Goddess, that one simply lies there in silence, and the deed is done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Places such as this, Impa had told her, were sinful and a sign of indulgence. They were blatantly disrespecting the Goddess' desire for a dutiful marriage bed. But there were no marriages here, and Zelda had the distinct feeling that none of them were thinking about the Goddess.
Nothing in Zelda's mind imagine what could cause such noises to so loudly emanate from each room. And they were loud, so loud. Intermingling male and female voices, especially from behind the door they'd finally stopped at.
"Sinful thoughts will not be tolerated." Zelda winced as she remembered the hard slap across her face that she'd felt once too many times, a reminder that she was not to indulge in so much as a lingering glance on a man in polite society. Her governess made sure that it was stuck in her head. The Goddess was not allowed to be indulgent, so neither are her mortal children.
Revali hesitated before slamming his fist against the door several times. The noises grew louder, faster, and Zelda leaned against the railing, as far from it all as possible. Revali watched her carefully before backing away to give her more space, as if a mutual understanding had come between them.
"A marriage bed is sacred, and it is for conception of a child. Those who seek pleasure from such acts are immoral, and they disobey the will of the Goddess for their own pleasure."
"But is it pleasurable?" she remembered asking.
"You will lie there, and you will be pleased when you have done your duty to the Goddess. Yes."
"That's not what I—"
Zelda winced again, imagining that her governess was about to pop out of any door, to tell her she'd failed some propriety test, and that she needed to be punished. Her rear would sting too much to sit, and she'd never make such a mistake again.
"Come to the fucking door!" Revali called, his mouth nearly against the wood.
"Oh Goddess!" someone shouted behind the walls. Zelda slammed her eyes shut, as if that would somehow stop the sounds from reaching her ears. Perhaps some of them were thinking about the Goddess after all…
Zelda's heart raced, thumping erratically. It was just another consistent banging noise that she couldn't ignore, no matter how hard she tried to tune them all out.
Then, another banging noise.
Zelda's head shot to the side, and she hopped closer to Revali. This time the banging came from footsteps racing up the flights of stairs, hurried, and several.
"Oh, not fucking today!" Revali hissed, turning the doorknob and dragging Zelda into the room with him before slamming the door shut behind him, locking it, and moving them both away in case a shot or a sword came through the wood.
But Zelda didn't realize just what she was walking into.
On the bed was a tangle of limbs, of bare skin so tightly packed together that it was hard to discern one person from another. All Zelda could tell was that there were two men and a woman, and she immediately lost her footing, stumbling into Revali as though he was the safest thing she'd ever known. For in that moment, it was entirely possible that he was.
Something about the intimate experience, so foreign to her, had her unable to look away in absolute horror. Because they didn't seem to care that two people had just entered the room.
Revali helped steady her while she stared in dismay as the man in the middle of the others threw his head back and let out a long, satisfied moan that she'd never heard the likes of while the man behind him ran his lips along his neck. And she was all the more shocked to see that man in the middle was Link.
"Yes? What is it?" the female ever so calmly asked as she laid on the bed, letting her foot trail along Link's leg. She giggled while he moved off of her, and the other man moved away from Link. And that's when Zelda's better sense returned and had her quickly spinning to the side and staring at the ceiling. The woman on the bed leisurely turned her head to the doorway, but she quickly sat up, surprised. "Oh! You're not the madam."
Link's attention finally shifted when he saw the woman's shock. It was apparent that interruptions were seemingly common, given that the three of them never batted an eye at the intrusion. But the ones interrupting?
"What the fuck?" Link gasped, his eyes on Zelda.
Her eyes were fixed on a plank of wood that ran along two beams on the ceiling, her teeth biting down hard against her trembling lip, her hands wrung together.
From behind the walls, Zelda could still hear the noises that came from other rooms, and the thought that this could be happening inside had her muscles tensing and her eyes watering. She just wanted to leave.
And from inside this room, she heard the sheets move, water sloshing in a bucket, the sound of something dropping, sounds like something light as fabric fell on the floor. And grumbling. A lot of grumbling coming distinctly from Link's voice.
"Why the fuck did you bring her here?" Link hissed to Revali, and Zelda could tell from the movement in his voice that he was likely the one moving things around.
"You're urgently needed."
"You couldn't fucking wait?"
"Not really. Can we speak privately about why I brought her with me?"
Link hastily grabbed his pants from the floor. Zelda could hear the pant legs whip against the floorboards, the sound of him getting into them, the methodic swishes of him tying the front laces. She shut her eyes tighter and tried to think of flowers and the Goddess.
"I swear to the fucking Goddess, if this isn't life or death, and you brought her in here as some fucking twisted joke…"
"It's not a joke. It's an emergency."
Zelda could hear Link running his hand through his hair several times before groaning. "Shad?" he asked. "You can go." Zelda heard the shuffle of clothes and the distinct smack of lips pressed together before hearing the door shut.
"You can speak in front of Ashai," Link said when the door closed, still panting for breath as he pushed the sweat off his forehead and into his long, disheveled hair. "She knows all about Miss Nohansen."
Zelda glanced down briefly, regretting it immediately. The woman was on the bed still, seductively staring at Revali. And Revali seemed extremely disinterested in all of it, and in fact, looked almost as uncomfortable as Zelda was.
Ashai, it seemed, rolled off the bed and grabbed a long, sheer robe that she slipped into, the fabric rustling as she moved, before walking towards where Zelda was still frozen in the middle of the room. "I can tell you're Hylian. No one here would bat an eye at what you just saw. You can look down now. We're all covered here."
She touched Zelda's arm, but Zelda flinched away, trying very hard to blink as little as possible.
Link's eyes were concerned as they watched Zelda, but he didn't have the luxury of time to be considerate. So he turned his attention back to Revali. "Were you seen with her?"
"Yes, but it's far less attention than she brought on the beach."
"Fuck. What happened?" Link asked.
"Someone ran their mouth. Said we have a governor's daughter with us, and that the ransom was going to be worth all our weight in rupees. So I got her off the beach before anyone could get a better look at her or think to act."
"Who was it?" Ashai asked, crossing the room to the window and gazing out. "Who was stupid enough to tell another crew that you have precious cargo, and cargo that is an easily manipulated, fragile, frightened girl."
Zelda's eyes snapped to Ashai's, understanding that there was a challenge in her tone. But as soon as she looked at the girl, she could just see her against the bed, her legs pulling Link and Shad closer, her voice that sounded so much like she could have been in pain or in great pleasure as she was sent further into the center of the bed with every motion they all made.
Sure, Zelda's ladies had helped her change and bathe, but she never pranced around laughing, wanting, or hair wild and tangled from a recent escapade with some men.
Who was this woman to judge Zelda?
And Zelda had to look away again, focusing all her attention on the thick strands of a hideous red woven rug. She still couldn't find any words, nor did she have the strength to move. And she certainly wasn't able to look at Link. All she could do was hug her arms to herself, as if she could shrink enough to comfort herself in such a place after seeing such an act so private played out right before her eyes.
Goddess above, no book she'd ever deigned to read had ever been nearly so detailed as to prepare her for such a sight.
"I don't know who it was yet," Revali said hesitantly. "I was more concerned with getting her out of there before anyone got any ideas. I told Mipha to watch her lady there. And Captain went home for a visit, so it's on you Link. You had your quick fuck, now get back and deal with this."
"'Deal with this?' I left you in charge for a few fuckin' hours and you let everything go to shit! This isn't my fucking mess, it's yours."
Link and Revali's voices sounded like they were in the distance, echoes, rather than a presence standing just feet from her.
Her eyes finally turned to them though. Link stood close to the bed still, shirtless and barefoot. His hair looked tangled and stuck out a bit, while a fine sheen of sweat covered his entire body. And she didn't know if she felt frightened or distinctly curious when—with every heavy breath he took—his muscles became aggressively apparent before sinking back into his skin, only to repeat with the next breath.
Revali appeared more ruffled than he had before, his neck turning red, the vein in his neck bulging. "My mess? Well excuse me, Mr. Quartermaster, I'll do your job and you keep your fucking title."
"Maybe if the crew had voted for you, you'd have the damn title. But they wanted me, didn't they?"
"At least I wouldn't be fucking some prostitutes while we have valuable cargo with us."
Zelda narrowed her eyes. She was getting sick of being called cargo, but there was nothing about her that could possibly voice that at this moment. Instead, she stayed silent and listened.
This time, Link moved to stand toe to toe with Revali. "You think I don't know how to do my fucking job?"
"Yeah, that's right. And I think I could do it a thousand times better."
"Then why are you here crawling to me for help?"
"Despite what everyone thinks, I can't do everything myself. I can't defend a helpless Hylian girl and fight off several crews on my own."
"Defenseless? Looks like you armed her," Link said, turning to Zelda and the knife she still gripped tightly to. But she turned away when his eyes flashed to hers. "Couldn't arm our crew? Was that what you failed to do?"
Revali spat something back, but Zelda tried to focus on anything else.
The curtains were partially drawn, as if they'd been closed in a hurry, but without much effort into the actual privacy they provided. Outside the glass, she could see a tree that swayed in the breeze. Like clockwork, it moved every few seconds, then stood still for a few more.
"Oh please, shut up!" Ashai said, crossing the room. She held her hand out to stop Revali and pushed Link back by his chest. He let her, though his eyes never left Revali's, still narrowed, still burning.
"Go take care of whatever it is. I'll keep an eye on the girl while you do," Ashai said, letting Link go and getting comfortable on the bed, crossing her long, exposed legs. She almost looked… bored.
Zelda couldn't comprehend her boredom. Did she see disputes often? Was she used to throwing herself between two screaming pirates?
Link walked over to the desk and leaned heavily against it, watching Zelda. "Miss Nohansen?"
"What?" Zelda finally managed to snap, her voice cracking as she turned to him. Her whole head went with that one word, and she met his piercing stare. But the longer she held his gaze, the more she felt herself burning with embarrassment and a shame that she didn't understand, as it didn't belong to her.
She hadn't been the one caught.
She had to look away.
"Never mind." Link said as he bent down and grabbed his shirt from the floor before throwing it on. His effects were all on the desk, and he began hooking his belts, scabbards, holsters, and every other item around his waist before grabbing his jacket last, shrugging his arms through the sleeves.
Zelda's eye caught his necklace again, and she was surprised to find that she had been correct: he wore the Triforce on the end of the chain. She nearly caught herself scoffing in disgust, that someone so keen on debauchery could flaunt the Goddess' symbol in such jest.
"Okay, let's go," Link said, brushing past her without another look.
Zelda glanced at Revali, her eyes wide and pleading, begging him to take her with him.
But he shook his head. "You're safer here. Besides, she's got as much to lose as we do if you're harmed or taken. She'll protect you. Keep the knife, if you're so nervous."
"You want me to pretend to be a…" Zelda trailed off, wide eyed and mortified as she stared at Ashai.
The girl smiled and shrugged. "If you want."
"Just don't leave this room and you'll be fine," Revali said.
"We'll be back soon," Link promised before he and Revali headed out the door.
And Zelda was left alone with Ashai.
"You can sit," Ashai said, her brown eyes sharp as she scanned Zelda. "We have this room for a while. Link paid for… far more time than he used."
Zelda just let her hands run comforting strokes up and down her arms, her eyes away from Ashai and from that bed.
"Okay, you're a quiet one, I suppose. It's not surprising though, seeing as you're from Hyrule. Hylians are all so easy to pick out of a crowd."
Zelda let out a deep breath and leaned against the desk, trying to ignore the rather loud, frequent shouts from the room next door.
Ashai giggled, as if Zelda's discomfort were endearing, like a child making a funny face at a food they disliked. "We could fix that, if you wanted. As I said, Link paid for this room for a long time. I can call Shad back in and we can—"
"Goddess no!" Zelda shouted, springing off the desk, covering her mouth as her heart rate sped up. Her other hand went for the knife, instinctually ready to protect herself.
Ashai raised an eyebrow. "You can rest easy. No is no. Though, it's far more fun than you think."
"No."
"Very well then, Miss. Just putting the offer out there."
As Zelda settled into the silence, her ears perked up again at the noises coming from the adjacent rooms, and she flinched, feeling the sting of sharp, embarrassed tears breaching her eyelid. Images flooded her brain, drowning her in what might have been going on in the other rooms.
She must have made a noise, because Ashai turned to her, an amused grin getting wider. "You're so uncomfortable. I'm sure you've heard this back home and have never even known it. Even you Hylians break some rules. Of course, if they've never been fucked properly then it's quite doubtful that—"
"Stop it!" Zelda snapped. A tear spilled, and she slammed her hands down into the desk. "If you're trying to embarrass me, you've done so. If you're trying to shame me, you've managed. If you're trying to educate me, I didn't ask for it. I want to get back to that beach so I can just wait to go home."
"Oh, Miss Prim Hylian, relax. Or hell, look out the window. You can see the beach from here. Maybe even the crew."
Crossing the room as quickly as she could, Zelda stopped in front of the window and gazed out of it. Sure enough, she had a clear view of the beach, and the crews in the far distance, too far to make heads or tails of anything. So all she could see and focus on were trees, sand, and water. But she could imagine that across that water, someone was giving her father a message, telling him that she needed him now. And then ships would sail over the horizon to bring her home.
She touched a pane of the glass, and her finger wiped a clean path down it. It was dirtier than it appeared, as was the whole room.
She turned away from the window to look at it, finally able to take in her surroundings. She was leaning against a carved wooden desk, one with embellishments designed into the wood in beautiful and intricate patterns.
The walls were a lime green with gold trimmings, possibly meant to make it look like someone had paid a great deal for them, but the color had long since faded the lime to a tolerable green, and the gold was looking more yellow. There were signs of damage on the walls, from chipped paper, to scratches. On the sides, there were sconces with dying candles lining the walls, and a curtain above the poster bed. An intricate room divider was in the corner, again painted with gold trimmings. Zelda wondered if the woman's clothes were behind there, as she still sat in just a robe.
There was a chair just beside Zelda, and two mirrors. Through the reflection, she could see the other side of the bed. She could finally see the pile of discarded clothes, along with some rags and a bucket. They were beside an end table that had fresh flowers. Everything about the room contradicted itself.
Flowers in a place the Goddess deemed ugly. Candles lighting up the darkened room. Gold in a cheap place.
"Were you Hylian?" Zelda asked, trying to redirect the silence into something that she could grasp.
"I was. Too poor though, so I left and made myself a good life here."
"A good life? Doing this?" Zelda sighed and cursed herself again. Why even indulge?
"Yes, Love, this is incredibly enjoyable, when done correctly. Not at all the bore the pious Hylians try to sell it as."
"Must you always bring the conversation back to that?" Zelda growled.
She wanted to sit down, but she thought of how many times bare skin had sat there. She wanted to lean on the walls or the table, just because she needed support, but the thought that this was a touched room kept her from doing so.
But instead, Zelda went back to the window, her eyes trailing along a worn path that led away from the beach. There was some litter in the grass beside it. "The other crews on this island… they're dangerous? They're the reason that I cannot leave your sight until Mr. Woods and Mr. Revali have returned, correct?"
"Mr. Woods? Oh, I don't think I've heard Link called that since I met him. It's no wonder he came in here all hot and bothered today."
"He's bothered by me calling him Mr. Woods?" Zelda scoffed.
Ashai grinned and shook her head, that look reserved for an innocent child appearing on her face yet again. "Oh, quite possibly, Miss."
"He can get over it," she muttered. "What could possibly be happening down there to put me in danger? We arrived today. What does it matter if another crew sees me?"
"You don't want to know."
"I'm asking, aren't I? You were the one so keen to educate me on this place before. It's your fault I'm here. Answer me." Zelda put as much force into her tone as she possibly could.
Ashai's mouth dropped open in disgusted shock. "Fine then. They'll take you. They'll take you away, and when you panic and tell them what you're worth, they'll throw you in their hold and deliver you to your father in far worse shape than they found you just because they can."
"You mean to say that they'd kidnap me as well?"
They need me alive.
"Yes," Ashai spat triumphantly. "They'd take you and…"
Zelda and Ashai locked eyes for a brief moment before Zelda smirked and tucked the knife into her hand.
And ran.
A/N: If you read this chapter within the first few hours I had it up, there was a scene that was problematic that I did get rid of, and apologize if it made anyone here uncomfortable. But all references to it are gone and again, if it bothered you, I'm sincerely sorry 3
Reviews: Oracle of Hylia: Hahahahha Zelda has to watch her back! She's in a whole different world now! Guest 1: Yep! She is still struggling with that! To be taught something your whole life and when you confront it, it's not quite what they made it out to be! She's definitely been privileged, but also manipulated by the world she lives in, and now she's in a totally different place. Guest 2 *cough cough Guest 1*: YES! I binged all 5 pirates movies before writing this, so I doubt that the influence is heavily there!